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Italian rice crops suffer in drought, worst European heatwave ever
SCMP

Italian rice crops suffer in drought, worst European heatwave ever

Summer came too early to Europe’s most important rice-growing region, and weeds are taking over Sharon Angoli’s parched paddies in Italy’s Pavia province. “That one is done for, no matter what happens,” the 22-year-old said as she surveyed one desolate field that has been baked by what is among the most severe heatwaves to hit the continent in June. Even abundant rains for the rest of the summer w...

Neurobiologist and former taekwondo captain Chih-Ying Su leaves US for China
SCMP

Neurobiologist and former taekwondo captain Chih-Ying Su leaves US for China

Celebrated neurobiologist Chih-Ying Su, who specialises in research on the sense of smell using fruit flies and mosquitoes, has left her position as faculty vice-chair at the University of California San Diego to join the Shenzhen Academy of Medical Sciences (SMART). The Taiwan-born American scholar’s appointment as a full-time senior investigator was confirmed by SMART on July 2. Professor Su’s l...

Renowned neurobiologist and former taekwondo captain Chih-Ying Su leaves US for China
SCMP

Renowned neurobiologist and former taekwondo captain Chih-Ying Su leaves US for China

Celebrated neurobiologist Chih-Ying Su, who specialises in research on the sense of smell using fruit flies and mosquitoes, has left her position as faculty vice-chair at the University of California San Diego to join the Shenzhen Academy of Medical Sciences (SMART). The Taiwan-born American scholar’s appointment as a full-time senior investigator was confirmed by SMART on July 2. Professor Su’s l...

Hong Kong Legco chief urges higher standards after lawmaker’s drink-driving arrest
SCMP

Hong Kong Legco chief urges higher standards after lawmaker’s drink-driving arrest

The president of Hong Kong’s legislature has urged fellow members to be “more rigorous in their conduct” to meet society’s expectations after a lawmaker resigned following his arrest for alleged drink-driving. Breaking her silence on Saturday, Legislative Council president Starry Lee Wai-king said William Wong Kam-fai’s resignation the previous day reflected his willingness to accept responsibilit...

Hong Kong’s third medical school hires 300 teachers, expects to raise intake to 200

Hong Kong’s third medical school hires 300 teachers, expects to raise intake to 200

SCMP

Hong Kong’s third medical school has recruited about 300 teachers and expects its annual student intake to eventually rise from 50 to more than 200, its dean has revealed. Professor King Li King-chuen, founding dean of medicine at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, also said on Saturday that the medical school had identified a teaching hospital for internships and clinical trainin...

Chinese scientists’ brain-mimicking chip ‘up to 478 times faster than Nvidia A100 GPU’

Chinese scientists’ brain-mimicking chip ‘up to 478 times faster than Nvidia A100 GPU’

SCMP

Chinese scientists say they have developed a tiny computer chip capable of modelling complex brain structures in real time. According to its developers, this chip could not only transform diagnostics and treatment for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, but also boost the performance of brain-machine interfaces and assist surgeons. Researchers from Peking University and the Chinese Academy of ...

Instructor arrested after diver seriously injured by boat propeller

Instructor arrested after diver seriously injured by boat propeller

SCMP

A 27-year-old diver has suffered serious facial injuries after being struck by a boat propeller off a Hong Kong beach, while a windsurfing board hit a woman in a separate incident in the same area. Police said they received a call at around 3.05pm reporting injuries at Little Palm Beach near Hang Hau Wing Lung Road in Clear Water Bay. The two people hurt did not know each other. The male diver was...

Man suffers serious face injuries after being struck by boat at Hong Kong beach

Man suffers serious face injuries after being struck by boat at Hong Kong beach

SCMP

Two people were hurt, including a man who suffered serious face injuries, when they were struck by a boat at a beach in Hong Kong on Saturday. Police said they received a call at around 3.05pm reporting that a man and woman had been hit by a boat at Little Palm Beach near Hang Hau Wing Lung Road in Clear Water Bay. The man was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei after sustaining serio...

2 hurt after being struck by boat at Hong Kong beach

2 hurt after being struck by boat at Hong Kong beach

SCMP

Two people were hurt, including a man who suffered serious face injuries, when they were struck by a boat at a beach in Hong Kong on Saturday. Police said they received a call at around 3.05pm reporting that a man and woman had been hit by a boat at Little Palm Beach near Hang Hau Wing Lung Road in Clear Water Bay. The man was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei after sustaining serio...

Drug traffickers using social media to hire Thai airline staff as couriers

Drug traffickers using social media to hire Thai airline staff as couriers

SCMP

Early in the morning on June 18, a message from an unknown account slipped into the TikTok inbox of a flight attendant in Bangkok with a series of questions: “Are you flying to Australia? Do you do carry-for-hire? What is your rate?” The 30-year-old, who flies ‌for a regional budget carrier, ignored the message and forgot about it – until Tuesday, when a Thai Airways flight attendant was charged w...

Is it wiser for middle powers ‘not to take sides’ in face of US-China rivalry?

Is it wiser for middle powers ‘not to take sides’ in face of US-China rivalry?

SCMP

Middle powers would be better off hedging their bets rather than picking sides between countries such as the United States or China, a forum in Beijing heard on Friday. This view echoed the comments made by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at Davos earlier this year when he said such countries should unite in the face of a “rupture in the world order”. Speakers at Tsinghua University’s World Pe...

PLA Navy officer recalls dramatic Sudan evacuation at Hong Kong barracks open day

PLA Navy officer recalls dramatic Sudan evacuation at Hong Kong barracks open day

SCMP

A PLA Navy officer who helped evacuate hundreds of Chinese nationals during the Sudanese civil war has recounted that many burst into tears upon arriving at the ship, telling visitors at a barracks open day in Hong Kong the experience had left an indelible mark. The mission was carried out by the guided-missile destroyer Nanning, which along with the guided-missile frigate Hengyang, is making a fi...

China’s influence on African ports extends to software, automation and AI: study

China’s influence on African ports extends to software, automation and AI: study

SCMP

Chinese firms not only operate, finance or hold stakes in about one third of all ports in Africa, but Beijing now also controls the software, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) tools that run the infrastructure. And that reach extends well beyond the docks, with Beijing financing and operating the road, rail and warehousing networks connected to these ports and other maritime projects acr...

Development chief hails ‘diversified’ consortium in Northern Metropolis pilot bid

Development chief hails ‘diversified’ consortium in Northern Metropolis pilot bid

SCMP

Hong Kong’s development chief has welcomed collaboration between property developers and industry operators in bids for the Northern Metropolis pilot project, saying the consortium reflected diversity and the government’s aim of pairing the two sectors. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho made the remarks on Saturday despite the government only receiving two bids for the flagship Hung...

Boy, 16, in a critical condition after fall through school classroom window

Boy, 16, in a critical condition after fall through school classroom window

SCMP

A 16-year-old boy remains in a critical condition with a suspected brain haemorrhage after he was believed to have been knocked from behind by a classmate while climbing through a classroom window at his school, the South China Morning Post has learned. The Education Bureau said on Saturday that it was “deeply concerned” about the incident, which occurred the previous day, and that the school invo...

Pope visits Africa-Europe crossing as anti-migrant policies rise in US, EU

Pope visits Africa-Europe crossing as anti-migrant policies rise in US, EU

SCMP

Pope Leo on Saturday visited Italy’s Lampedusa island, a major port of call for migrants risking the perilous crossing from Africa, in a stark message to US and EU leaders. The Catholic Church’s first US pope, who has clashed with the administration of President Donald Trump over its treatment of migrants, is marking July 4, the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence, on a migration fron...

Wang Fuk Court administrator to hold crucial owners’ meeting on July 19

Wang Fuk Court administrator to hold crucial owners’ meeting on July 19

SCMP

The government-appointed administrator of Hong Kong’s fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court will hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) with owners of the flats on July 19, ending months of delays. In a notice issued on Saturday, Hop On Management Company said it would host the meeting simultaneously via live broadcast across four locations for owners of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po – the site of Hong Kong...

Blaming China won’t bring jobs back to ‘post-industrial’ economies

Blaming China won’t bring jobs back to ‘post-industrial’ economies

SCMP

Almost anywhere you look these days, you can find claims from political, academic and other various sources that China’s supposed overproduction and exports of manufactured goods pose unfair advantages. These sources may also claim such unfair advantages justify protectionist countermeasures. But it is difficult to counter one’s own folly. For decades, the US, much of Europe and even Japan, long p...

Top Chinese influencer sells pricey courses after government live-streaming ban

Top Chinese influencer sells pricey courses after government live-streaming ban

SCMP

A top social media agency in mainland China, suspended from business operations two years ago for selling fake Hong Kong brand mooncakes, is back in the spotlight for selling live-streaming courses. Three Sheep Network, based in eastern Anhui province, boasts top influencers Zhang Qingyan and Zhang Kaiyang, who are twin brothers. The former, better known as Crazy Younger Brother Yang, has 95 milli...

Currency advantages, K-beauty fuel Chinese shopping trips, spending in Korea

Currency advantages, K-beauty fuel Chinese shopping trips, spending in Korea

SCMP

When Chelsea Wang travelled to Seoul with two friends in late April, they barely visited any of the city’s palaces or tourist attractions. Instead, their three-and-a-half-day itinerary revolved around duty-free shopping, beauty treatments, hair salons and cosmetics stores. Wang arrived with a shopping list of her own: a backpack she estimated would cost at least 500 yuan ($70) less than in China, ...

‘We won’t tolerate this’: thousands in Germany protest against far-right AfD

‘We won’t tolerate this’: thousands in Germany protest against far-right AfD

SCMP

Thousands of opponents of Germany’s far-right AfD took to the streets of Erfurt on Saturday and blocked roads to the party’s annual conference ahead of regional elections that could see it take power at state level for the first time. Protesters from ‌unions, civil society groups and left-wing parties gathered as large numbers of police, including reinforcements from across Germany, were deployed ...

2 wet lab buildings at Hong Kong Hetao innovation hub fully leased in first phase

2 wet lab buildings at Hong Kong Hetao innovation hub fully leased in first phase

SCMP

The first phase of Hong Kong’s Hetao innovation hub, a key cross-border initiative under the Northern Metropolis megaproject, has been well received, with two of its wet laboratory buildings fully leased, its chairman has revealed. Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Kevin Choi Kit-ming, who also chairs the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park in the Lok Ma Cha...

Hong Kong Hetao innovation hub fully leases 2 wet lab buildings amid strong demand

Hong Kong Hetao innovation hub fully leases 2 wet lab buildings amid strong demand

SCMP

The first phase of Hong Kong’s Hetao innovation hub, a key cross-border initiative under the Northern Metropolis megaproject, has been well received, with two of its wet laboratory buildings fully leased, its chairman has revealed. Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Kevin Choi Kit-ming, who also chairs the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park in the Lok Ma Cha...

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef avoids ‘in danger’ listing by Unesco

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef avoids ‘in danger’ listing by Unesco

SCMP

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a major tourism drawcard, has avoided being listed as endangered despite the United Nations reporting “utmost concern” about mass coral bleaching and the impact of climate change. Canberra welcomed on Saturday the draft decision by Unesco to maintain the World Heritage status of the 2,300km-long (1,426-mile) reef stretching along the coast of Queensland state. Unesc...

‘No one lifts a finger’: Gaza’s fate eclipsed by Middle East war

‘No one lifts a finger’: Gaza’s fate eclipsed by Middle East war

SCMP

The Gaza war was the spark that touched off years of Middle East conflict culminating in the US-Israeli war with Iran, but as Washington and Tehran wrangle over terms for peace, the devastated territory’s fate seems largely out of mind. “Ever since the United States went to war with Iran, the whole world has forgotten Gaza and its tragedy. We no longer have anyone standing by us,” Palestinian Ahme...

In some Indian temples, robotic elephants draw crowds and controversy

In some Indian temples, robotic elephants draw crowds and controversy

SCMP

The life-size robotic elephants in Prasanth Prakashan’s backyard workshop have ears that flap, tails that swish and trunks that squirt water. But that’s about all they have in common with their real-life counterparts revered across India as manifestations of the divine. The animatrons, crafted from fibreglass, iron and rubber, are intended to take the place of live elephants in Hindu temples. The ...

Thousands gather in Iran as Khamenei funeral ceremonies begin

Thousands gather in Iran as Khamenei funeral ceremonies begin

SCMP

Funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei officially began on Saturday, state television reported, an event drawing thousands and intended to serve as a show of strength to the Islamic republic’s foes. Iranian authorities say they anticipate between 15 and 20 million participants in Tehran alone over the next three days for tributes to the man who ran the country for three-and...

The end of ‘just in time’? Asia rejigs supply chains post-Hormuz

The end of ‘just in time’? Asia rejigs supply chains post-Hormuz

SCMP

How many crises does it take to change the way the world trades? For Asia, the answer appears to be three. First Covid closed the factories that fed the logistics networks, then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine choked off Black Sea grain exports and sent energy prices spiralling. Now, the US-Israel war on Iran may have hammered the final nail in the coffin of “just in time” supply chains that some eco...

Ex-opposition lawmaker Andrew Wan released after serving sentence for subversion

Ex-opposition lawmaker Andrew Wan released after serving sentence for subversion

SCMP

Former Hong Kong lawmaker Andrew Wan Siu-kin has been released from prison after completing his jail term in a landmark subversion case, saying he hopes to turn a new page in his life. Wan, of the now-defunct Democratic Party, left Stanley Prison on Saturday morning in a seven-seater believed to have been arranged by police. He expressed gratitude to his supporters in a subsequent social media pos...